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Missing Oregon mom found dead in remote area

DUNDEE, Ore. – Missing Dundee mom Jennifer Huston has been found dead, in a remote area of Yamhill County near Sheridan, police said. A property owner spotted her SUV Tuesday morning in a grove of trees near

DUNDEE, Ore. — Missing Dundee mom Jennifer Huston has been found dead in a remote area of Yamhill County near Sheridan, police said.

A property owner spotted her SUV along a dirt road about 1/8 of a mile from the closest home in the rural farming community near Sheridan. He alerted police around 10:30 a.m., and deputies soon found Huston's body about 50 yards away from her vehicle, according to Capt. Jeff Kosmicki with the Newberg-Dundee Police Department.

Kosmicki would not discuss the condition of the body, but said Huston was still wearing the outfit she had on the night she went missing — black yoga pants, a sweatshirt and sneakers. He said there were no obvious signs of foul play or indications that her SUV had been involved in a crash.

He added that the area just off Highway 18 had previously been searched by air, but a heavy canopy of trees hid Huston's vehicle.

A mobile team with the Oregon State Crime Lab will comb the area for any additional clues and autopsy results could be released as soon as Wednesday, he said.

"We're still open-ended. We're still going to take precautions," Kosmicki said of the ongoing investigation. "We're keeping an open mind, but I think we have a pretty good idea of what happened."

An area resident said a chain-link fence had been haphazardly moved and that's what led the property owner to finding Huston's SUV. That neighbor also reported noticing a strong odor.

Huston, 38, had been missing since the evening of July 24. She left home to run errands and seemed a little stressed out, according to her husband, Kallen Huston.

Police put together a timeline based on evidence in the case so far. Huston left home around 5:45 p.m., withdrew a small amount of money from at ATM at the First Community Credit Union around 6 p.m., bought snacks and sleeping pills at a local Rite Aid and then gassed up her SUV at the Newberg Circle K at 6:10 p.m. Her cellphone stopped working at 6:25 p.m.

Police were able to obtain surveillance video from the bank and gas station. Investigators who studied that video said they were confident Huston was the only person in the vehicle when it pulled up.

Kallen Huston said his wife had been complained about a headache the three days before she vanished, but she did not have any other known health issues.

The Hustons have two young sons, ages 2 and 6, whose birthdays are both in September. The couple had big plans to celebrate their 10-year wedding anniversary on Aug. 14. Huston's family said she was a dedicated wife and mother.